


What is essential is invisible to the eye

by NebulaChain



Category: Free!
Genre: Blind!Rei, Comfort/Angst, Drabble, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-28
Updated: 2015-04-28
Packaged: 2018-03-26 06:37:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3840805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NebulaChain/pseuds/NebulaChain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'Rei gradually develops a loss of vision. Nagisa doesn't leave him alone.' - Prompt sent by a user during Free! Notte Bianca #5</p>
            </blockquote>





	What is essential is invisible to the eye

**Author's Note:**

> The title is of course the popular quote from "The Little Prince".  
> This fic was originally written in Italian. Translated, revised and corrected. Please forgive any mistakes!

Everything started off with a gradual, slight loss of vision in both eyes.  
“C’mon Rei-chan, I’m pretty sure it’s just your lenses that have gotten dirty!”  
I think that’s how I answered the first time you talked to me about it.  
I made a joke out of it, and after the lessons you even offered me an iwatobikkuri-pan as a prize for passing the Math test; I remember it vividly as if it happened just yesterday.

Not long after, the rise of the disease was so fast that became alarming, until the specialist’s decisive diagnosis.  
“Retinal detachment.”  
I was upset. No, not because of the disease on the whole, but mostly ‘cause you revealed it to me only two weeks later.  
“Did you think I would have mocked you?”  
“No. I thought you would have abandoned me.”  
I held your hand tightly, and cried. I cried for a long time, until the warmth of our intertwined fingers became sizzling hot.  
“Stupid.” – I whispered, voice broken from crying – “Why should I abandon the person whom I love?”

As I subsequently learned from you, every attempt to prevent the disease failed due to the already late-stage of it.  
It was all that damned car accident’s fault – apparently you and your brother had been blessed by surviving it with only a few innocuous scratches, plus a broken leg for your brother, who was in the driver’s seat –… as a tardy consequence of the impact, some months later the clear symptoms of sight loss started to occur. No one could figure out what actually caused it; probably, during the car crash, some external agent infected the eyes’ surface, slowly and stealthily progressing.

Every activity at the swim club stopped. School lessons were converted into teachers coming over to your place giving you private lessons. Almost every aspect of teenage life prematurely disappeared from your existence.  
Yet, why the one who seemed to suffer the most was me?  
Did you already give up on your new situation, or…?

  
  
  


“Thank you.”  
“Mh? What for?”  
I keep peeling off the skin of the green apple in the kitchen, while you’re sitting on the sofa of our living room.  
Twelve years later, still together, live-in partners.  
“For bearing with me and staying by my side.”  
I put down the knife and stand up.  
You must have heard my steps as you instinctively turn your head towards me.  
“I am your eyes.”  
You reach out for my hand and leave a soft kiss onto the back of it.  
“Then let’s see our bright future together.”  
A silent laugh escapes my lips, and I ask you since when you became so poetic. You smile back at me and squeeze my hand, then I jokingly order you to stop daydreaming and to prepare yourself for the visit of Haruka, Makoto and Rin.


End file.
